


I Cannot Dance Alone

by moonmoth (greyvvardenfell)



Series: Fictober 2019 [12]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: AO3 really makes it hard to categorize nb relationships huh, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyvvardenfell/pseuds/moonmoth
Summary: Nadia and her guard (and lover) Yazakh take a second to decompress after the war ends.
Relationships: Nadia (The Arcana)/Original Character(s)
Series: Fictober 2019 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696495
Kudos: 1





	I Cannot Dance Alone

**Author's Note:**

> For the Fictober prompt: "We could have a chance."

The great heavy doors of the council chamber took long, painful seconds to close. Yazakh stood tall, topaz gaze shifting between Nadia’s elegant form at the head of the table and the backs of the retreating figures indistinct through the narrowing gap between the marble slabs. As soon as the walls quaked with a boom that signaled solitude at last, they allowed their shoulders to slump for the first time since this damn war started and placed a hand on Nadia’s lower back, releasing a silent sigh that spoke volumes.

“Well.” Nadia turned into their embrace, her fingers massaging her temple. “Your thoughts on all of that would be most welcome, Yazakh.”

“What is there to say?” They stared at the doors a moment longer before shaking their head. “To the victors go the spoils.”

“Indeed.” Nadia walked to the back of the room and poured herself a glass of water from a crystal pitcher on the sideboard. Servants had been forbidden from attending the secret meeting, packed full of diplomats and heads of state, so refreshments were left to scavenge from as needed. “Such is as it was and always shall be, I suppose.”

“You’re unsettled.”

“I am… uneasy, yes.”

Yazakh frowned. Vesuvia’s involvement in the war had been minimal, hence their position hosting the peace talks. That Nadia was unhappy with the proceedings likely meant there was something they missed in the seemingly altogether praiseworthy event that was the armistice.

Nadia knew them well enough to understand what their silence asked. “The Allies have shifted all blame to the Central Powers. All reparations, paid in full, will be the responsibility of Germany, as both the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires have been dealt fatal blows by these last few years.” She swirled the water in her glass and laughed mirthlessly. “No one country is at fault for this mess, nor should any one country be forced to pay for it.”

“The people demand accountability,” Yazakh said, shrugging. “You know this as well as I.”

“The people were the ones who fought and died for the pride of stubborn, short-sighted men!” Swaying on her feet, Nadia pressed her palm against the side of her head and squeezed her crimson eyes shut, wincing. Yaz flew to her side as fast as they could, ready to catch her should she collapse.

“You should rest, Nadia.”

She held herself up on their shoulder, draining the rest of her water in a single swallow. “There is a banquet tonight, honoring our guests. I will be missed should I not attend.”

“Just for now, then.” They checked her temperature with the back of their hand, their frown deepening. “For me.”

“Ah.” Nadia smiled, leaning her head against their arm. “For you, Yaz, I will. On one condition, though.”

They knew what she would request before she pressed on, and favored her with one of their rare smiles. “I, too, am expected at the banquet, you know.”

“Of course you are, my dear. We will go together, the countess and her general, arm-in-arm. But that is not what I would ask of you.”

“Oh?”

“Come nap with me. I sleep so much better with you at my side.”

Yazakh ran through their schedule for the afternoon in their head. None of it was more important than keeping Nadia comfortable and safe. “Of course.”

“Thank you. I know how busy you are.”

They chuckled. “Never too busy for you.” With one arm curled protectively around her waist, they ushered her out the small servants’ exit into the palace’s back halls, winding through hidden corridors to avoid notice until the two of them emerged outside their bedroom upstairs. Yazakh unlocked the suite with their own key and led the way in, senses heightened for intruders. But nothing seemed amiss, and they turned down the covers on Nadia’s side of the bed as she removed her jewelry.

“Yazakh?”

“Yes?”

“Could you assist me with my gown, when you have a moment?”

After releasing the eye-hook at the back of her neck, they stood behind her, towering over her in the full-length mirror, nearly twice as broad in the shoulder and hip. Nadia smiled at them and pulled their hands over her shoulders to rest against her bare chest. “We may have a chance to dance again tonight,” she said, eyes twinkling. “A dramatic return to the ballroom after the atrocities of this war.”

“It would brighten the hearts of those who lived, to see you sweep through their midst.”

“Don’t discount your own effect. I cannot dance alone.”

Yazakh rolled their eyes. “You can and have.”

Nadia turned around and stood on her toes to place a gentle kiss on their lips. “Certainly. But we’re so much better together.”


End file.
